It's November, and studios are still rolling out more Academy Award-worthy flicks!

Honestly, this is my favorite time of the movie year.

Watching great films leading up to Oscar night -- my own personal Super Bowl!

So here's the list in "release date" order, so I can add more towards the end as I watch more fantastic films!

HAVE FUN!

"BREACH" -- Great tension helped by the fantastic cast including Laura Linney and Chris Cooper. Ryan Phillippe proves to ex-wife Reese Witherspoon that he too, can act!

"ZODIAC" -- that great provocateur, David Fincher, returns in top form! The film is creepy but entertaining and mood-driven.

"300" -- I saw this on IMAX during a special Warner Bros. screening, and I totally enjoyed the visuals. I'm a comic-book geek, so I had been salivating at the thought of Frank Miller's creative vision being transferred to the big screen. And my expectations were met!

"GRINDHOUSE" -- Robert Rodriguez's zombie-fantasy is better than Tarantino's feminist take on the slasher genre, but as a whole, the film is a great exercise from two of the leading helmers of this generation. Rodriguez and Tarantino truly love the cinema!

"THE HOAX" -- based on real-life events, Richard Gere gave a stirring performance as the writer Clifford Irving who created the ultimate hoax involving Howard Hughes.

"WAITRESS" -- at last, a romantic film that will not cheat you emotionally! Too bad the actress/director, Adrienne Shelley, met an untimely death. But I'm pushing for Keri Russell for a Best Actress nomination.

"ONCE" -- this romantic-musical took me for a surprise last summer! Great songs, great performances, and the film even made me cry. I immediately bought the soundtrack after watching the movie!

"KNOCKED UP" -- Writer/director Judd Apatow is having a great year (I also love "Superbad"). He can make you feel for his "loser" characters, without sacrificing the laughs.

"SUPERBAD" -- there's a moment in this film that almost made me cry, not because of heavy laughter (although there's a lot of that), but because of the well-written characters and their great friendship! Another Judd Apatow winner!

"3:10 TO YUMA" -- Russell Crowe and Christian Bale trade verbal bullets in this Western remake by director James Mangold. This film actually improved on the original!

"EASTERN PROMISES" -- Viggo Mortensen and David Cronenberg teamed up once again for the ultra-violent "Eastern Promises." Haunting, mesmerizing, and Vincent Cassel delivered one of the most memorable performances this year. Watch my review.

"IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH" -- I'm one of those folks who believed, and still do, that "Crash" was overrated! But all is forgiven Paul Haggis, "In the Valley of Elah" is a gripping anti-war statement masquerading as a whodunit.

"THE DARJEELING LIMITED" -- Director Wes Anderson remains to be one of the most intriguing helmers this side of filmmaking. Great performances specially Adrien Brody.

"MICHAEL CLAYTON" -- Clooney gave one of his most memorable performances in this searing look at corporate greed. I had my own personal issues with its Hollywood ending, but it's still a fantastic film!

"GONE BABY GONE" -- Ben Affleck's feature film directorial debut deserves to be nominated for a Best Picture. This film is perfect!

"ENCHANTED" -- Dear Academy Award voters, it's a drought year for female roles, so will it be too much to ask to nominate Amy Adams' tricky performance as a would-be princess from the animated world vanished to perish in the real world?

"JUNO" -- teenage pregnancy flick that's actually entertaining! A career-making film for Ellen Page (she should have gotten her dues in "Hard Candy").

"NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN" -- Great acting (scroll on my site for my interviews with the cast) and script (based on the book by Cormac McCarthy) -- this is one of the best films by the Coen Brothers!

I just love Josh Brolin! I used to have a huge crush on him (when I was a kid idolizing him in "Goonies"), so I was soooo nervous meeting him for the first time!

I'm also glad that he's finally getting great notices with his performances! He was great in "Grindhouse," "American Gangster (even though he's role wasn't developed enough)," and now in "No Country for Old Men."

We talked about:

***his character, Llewelyn Moss, and why he stole the money

***the biblical allegories of the film, and how it captured the tone and spirit of the book by the Shakespeare of the West, Cormac McCarthy

***my religious affinity with Madonna (well, just watch)

GO WATCH "NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN." ONE OF THE BEST FILMS BY THE COEN BROTHERS, AND ONE OF THE MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING MOVIES THIS YEAR!